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Flipping over pancakes: 4 interesting facts

Mar 11, 2014

When it comes to serving up a scrumptious breakfast, nothing seems to top our fascination with the pancake. And if you're familiar with Kiwanis International, chances are you've had your share of pancakes ― one of the organizations' key ingredients for successful fundraisers.

In recognition of the pancake's role in ancient and modern history, we gathered a few interesting facts about the breakfast staple. Consider these the next time you pour maple syrup on a stack of flapjacks:

Record-breaking pancake breakfast. If you've ever served pancakes to a hungry crowd, you probably felt like you couldn't flip them fast enough. Imagine making 34,818. That’s how many the Fargo Kiwanis Club served in 2008 during its Pancake Karnivale, breaking a Guinness World Record. The group reached that record during its 50th anniversary celebration.

2. Pancake Tuesday origins. Since Lent is a time of fasting, many celebrants started making pancakes as an opportunity to use perishable ingredients, such as eggs, butter and milk, before the period of abstaining from fatty foods. Historians say Olney, a small town in Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom, celebrated the first Pancake Day, with a lot of activities, in 1445.

3. No ordinary pancake. The largest pancake on record measured 49 feet and 3 inches in diameter, and weighed a whopping 6,614 pounds. It was created in Rochdale, Manchester, United Kingdom, in 1994, and validated as the largest by the Guinness Book of World Records.

If these facts are making you crave pancakes, Kiwanis clubs frequently hold pancake fundraisers to raise funds for community projects. Chances are you'll find one near you. For example, the Kiwanis Club of Greater Racine (Wisconsin) has been hosting Pancake Day since 1955, attracting crowds of up to 11,000.